In our previous post, we provided a few questions that any small business should ask to begin the process of identifying their target market. Now that you’ve taken these important first steps, it’s time to decide how important it is to you to further refine your typical customer or client profile, which in turn will help you more accurately identify your target market and create “tailor-made” marketing.
That Ad Really Was Speaking To You!
Think of the last time a form of advertising or marketing really made a connection with you – ideally, the last time you “ran out” to purchase a product or service after being exposed to an advertisement or marketing campaign. It may have been the newest smartphone with an innovative design, or a pair of sneakers, a new entree at your favorite restaurant, or even a large purchase such as an automobile – no matter what the product or service may have been, you felt as though it was created specifically for you, and was a perfect fit for your desire or need. You may have felt very differently a week later and may have even returned the product, but that initial exposure to the advertising campaign was enough to “seal the deal” without any additional research or product comparisons necessary.
Composite Of A Typical Customer
This type of dynamically successful marketing and advertising doesn’t often happen at random – in fact, most likely a considerable amount of time, money and other resources were invested in successfully identifying the target market for that product or service, well before any advertisement or marketing product was produced. The reason it felt as though that piece of advertising was created just for you is because, well, in a way it was – a composite of a typical customer or client was created and the ad was written and produced specifically for that composite, and as an ideal member of the target market in question, you likely matched that composite in at least a few important ways, resulting in it feeling tailor-made just for you.
Investing In Psychographic Research
Most small businesses want this scenario to play out for as many of their clients and customers as possible, but without identifying their target market as completely and accurately as possible, it is unlikely to happen on a broad enough scale to ultimately be a successful marketing or advertising effort. It is important to remember that just about any advertising and marketing message will connect with some potential customers or clients, but it is likely to be too small of an audience, either by being too broad and generic or too niche and specific to interest the largest group. Unfortunately, too many small business owners believe they understand their target market by believing that they themselves represent an ideal client or customer. Don’t let personal biases and beliefs hinder or damage the success of your business – make sure that you truly understand your target market and that the resources you have available are wisely spent in accurately identifying that market and subsequently tailoring and delivering your advertising and marketing to them as well.